Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about. This week Nikolay S. from Novsibirsk asks:

What was it like to grow up in the capital city Pyongyang? If life is as good as people say there, what made you leave?

When I tell people I’m from Pyongyang, it always raises their attention. People give me a surprising look and always show a keen interest in learning about my life there. They seem to have this fixed idea of North Koreans from Pyongyang – they